The BreadCast

(Jgs.13:2-7,24-25;   Ps.71:3-6,8,16-17;   Lk.1:5-25) “From my mother’s womb you are my strength.”  How the above line from our psalm is reflected both in Samson and in John, and how parallel are the lives of these two great men.  Of John it is said, “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb”; of Samson, “This boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb” and “The Spirit of th...

(Jer.23:5-8;   Ps.72:1,7,12-13,18-19;   Mt.1:18-24)   “He will save His people from their sins.”   Each of our readings today mentions the salvation of our Lord.  The above quote is from our gospel; our psalm states, “The lives of the poor He shall save”; and in our first reading it says, “In His days Judah shall be saved.”  The very name “Jesus” – as given to Joseph by the angel of the Lord – mea...

(Gn.49:2,8-10;   Ps.72:3-4,7-8,17;   Mt.1:1-17)   “May He rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”   Since “the scepter shall never depart from Judah,” the reign of Jesus, His descendant, His fulfillment, is without end – He is King forever.  And so, “tribute is brought to Him, and He receives the peoples’ homage,” which is in itself their salvation. Who is this Lion of...

(Zep.3:1-2,9-13;   Ps.34:2-3,6-7,17-19,23;   Mt.21:28-32)   “I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord.”   All have been “rebellious and polluted”; all have been as she who “hears no voice” and “accepts no correction.”  But the Lord now comes to “change and purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call upon the name of...

(Nm.24:2-7,15-17;   Ps.25:4-9;   Mt.21:23-27)   “A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel.”   And the light of that star is reflected in the eyes of Balaam, who, though a pagan, is gifted by God with the clear vision to see the beauty and wonder of “Israel encamped, tribe by tribe,” “like gardens beside a stream,” “like the cedars planted by the Lord.”  And as He is seen...

(Sir.48:1-4,9-11;   Ps.80:2-4,15-16,18-19;   Mt.17:10-13)   “Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace.”   Elijah has come, to “restore everything.”  The word has fallen like fire from heaven to prepare a path for the Lord to tread.  The Baptist has cried out as a voice in the wilderness for us to make our hearts ready for the coming of the Lord. But, sadl...

(Is.41:13-20;   Ps.145:1,8-13;   Mt.11:11-15)   “I will make you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and double-edged.”   A “worm” and a “maggot” are we.  We are “the afflicted and the needy [who] seek water in vain, [our] tongues… parched with thirst.”  But holding our right hand, the Lord speaks to us: “Fear not, I will help you.”  “I will open up rivers on the bare heights…  I will turn the desert...

(Is.40:25-31;   Ps.103:1-4,8,10;   Mt.11:28-30) “My yoke is easy and my burden light.” How we do become “weary and find life burdensome.”  How we can “faint and grow weary,” “stagger and fall” from the burden of sin and our inherent weakness.  But oh how “He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak He makes vigor abound.”   For indeed He is the creator of the universe – “by His great might and...

(Is.40:1-11;   Ps.96:1-3,10-13,Is.40:10;   Mt.18:12-14)   “Like a shepherd He feeds His flock; in His arms He gathers His lambs.”   His is the voice which “speak[s] tenderly to Jerusalem.”  It is He who “give[s] comfort to [His] people.”  For “it is no part of [the] heavenly Father’s plan that a single one of these little ones shall ever come to grief.” Like a shepherd He leads us.  With great con...

(Is.30:19-21,23-26;   Ps.147:1-6,Is.30:18;   Mt.9:35-10:1,6-8)   “On the day the Lord binds up the wounds of His people, He will heal the bruises left by His blows.”   “Cure the sick, raise the dead, heal the leprous, expel demons.”  With these words Jesus sends His disciples forth proclaiming, “The reign of God is at hand!” The prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled.  The Savior has come.  The Tea...

(Is.29:17-24;   Ps.27:1,4,13-14;   Mt.9:27-31)   “The eyes of the blind shall see.”   O “that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His temple.”  That out of “gloom and darkness” I might be taken, and come “to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”  That I could feel His hands touch my eyes, that I might have the faith to believe they shall be open to His glory...

(Is.26:1-6;   Ps.118:1,8-9,19-21,25-27;   Mt.7:21,24-27)   “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal rock.”   Sand or rock?  Upon which do we build our house?  If we “take refuge in the Lord” and enter “the gates of justice,” we shall find salvation in the Lord’s kingdom; if we “trust in man” and “princes,” we shall be leveled with the dust – our house shall collapse and we be “comple...

(Is.25:6-10;   Ps.23:1-6;   Mt.15:29-37)   “The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.”   And He will heal us.  And He will lead us.  And He will feed us. Jesus went up onto a mountainside along the Sea of Galilee and sat down to teach and to heal.  The sick were laid at His feet.  Isaiah says, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples.”  This mountain is the Lord.  It...

(Is.11:1-10;   Ps.72:1,7-8,12-13,17;   Lk.10:21-24) “The earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.” And so, “there shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. The vision is sure: “The wolf shall be the guest of the lamb… the lion shall eat hay like the ox… the child shall lay his hand on the adder’s lair,” for all shall live as one in the Spir...

(Is.2:1-5 or Is.4:2-6;   Ps.122:1-9;   Mt.8:5-11 I shall treat of both first readings)   “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!”   For it shall come.  “The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain….  All nations shall stream toward it,” and there the Lord will give judgment.  And His judgment will cause the banishment of war, for all shall be one in Him, and to all He s...

(Dn.7:15-27;   Dn.3:59,82-87;   Lk.21:34-36)  “The day I speak of will come upon all who dwell on the face of the earth.”  And so we must “pray constantly for the strength to escape whatever is in prospect, and to stand before the Son of Man.” The vision is explained to Daniel, and really it is quite simple: evil shall come, but good shall triumph in the end.  Kingdoms of the Beast, of the evil on...

(Dn.7:2-14;   Dn.3:59,75-81;   Lk.21:29-33) “The beast was slain and its body thrown into the fire to be burnt up.” Daniel prophesies the coming of pagan empires in his vision of the four beasts.  The vision is, in short, an overview of the coming salvation. Notice that even as Daniel watches the beasts emerge with their horns and tusks and great iron teeth, even as he watches these terrible creat...

(Dn.6:12-28;   Dn.3:59,68-74;   Lk.21:20-28)  “Your ransom is near at hand.” “He is a deliverer and savior, working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth.”  And as “He delivered Daniel from the lions’ power,” so He shall save our souls from the destruction to come upon the face of the earth. The king’s prayer is answered: “To Daniel he said, ‘May your God whom you serve so constantly, save you....

(Dn.5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28;   Dn.3:59,62-67;   Lk.21:12-19)  “You will be brought to give witness.” “Daniel was brought into the presence of the king.”  And what did this wisest of men have to say to this pagan king who ruled the earth?  “You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven.”  He did not hesitate to tell him of the emptiness of his “gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and ston...

(Dn.2:31-45;   Dn.3:57-61;   Lk.21:5-11) “The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace.” So shall the kingdom of this world be destroyed by “a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it”; so shall Jesus come – the Son of God, the King of kings – and mak...

(Dn.1:1-6,8-20;   Dn.3:52-56;   Lk.21:1-4)  “To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency in all literature and science, and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.” God is the giver of all good gifts; all is a gift from God.  Whatever we give to Him can only seem paltry to Him “who look[s] into the depths from [His] throne upon the cherubim.”  But He makes any gift we...

(1Mac.6:1-13;   Ps.9:2-4,6,16,19;   Lk.20:27-40)  “The needy shall not always be forgotten, nor shall the hope of the afflicted forever perish.” Death comes, yes.  Death is upon us and surrounds us in this world.  But the suffering we face in this life has its reward.  Jesus has brought redemption: He has been resurrected, and we with Him.  And this new life is eternal. It seemed the Israelites we...

(1Mac.4:36-37,52-59;   1Chr.29:10-13;   Lk.19:45-48) “Let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it.” In both our reading and gospel today, we hear of the cleansing of the temple, and we see its purpose and fulfillment. “My house is meant for a house of prayer,” declares Jesus.  A  house of prayer, and a house for teaching: “He was teaching in the temple area from day to day.”  It is a ho...

(1Mac.2:15-29;   Ps.50:1-2,5-6,14-15,23;   Lk.19:41-44) “We will not obey the words of the king nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree.” The king of heaven shall soon come into the city of peace, humble and riding on an ass, but today He weeps as He sees Jerusalem and knows of its imminent destruction for its sins.  Yet He shall ride into Jerusalem, yet He shall be dragged within its...

(2Mac.7:1,20-31;   Ps.17:1,5-6,8,15;   Lk.19:11-28) “He, in His mercy, will give you back both breath and life, because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of His Law.” When the Lord returns “crowned as king” He will call all before Himself and judge each according to the profit he has made with his life.  If we are like the seven brothers who suffered and died for the faith, if we have been...